Snow of Change
by Flame Falcon
Summary: Zelda revives a letter with some news from home. All is not well and she leaves to ponder the events. She becomes bitter and full of hatred at those who caused her the suffering and pain. But can a certain mercenary fix that? A oneshot dedicated to the season and a prelude to my upcoming story, Lion from the North.


**OK, so I am a day late on this. It's the holiday season still and thanks to my old enemy known as nostalgia, it's been about a year since I started to write fanfiction. Around this time, I started to come up with a plan that would eventually turn into Aquilas, Emblems and Triforces. My first and to date favorite story I wrote. **  
**So to remember that, I decided to challenge myself again. This time, in the form of writing one shot about the Holiday season, and as a prequel to an upcoming story of mine, Lion from the north. You can see an idea for it on my profile**.

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The snow was falling down gracefully outside the Smash Mansion. It was the holiday season, and as such, a brief respite was given to the smashers. Master Hand gave them two weeks off from the Brawls in order tho have them recuperate from the constant fighting. Some of the Smashers went back to their homeworlds to see relatives, friends and others just to be home for the holidays. Others, the majority, stayed in the Smash Mansion to enjoy the season. Many of them did odds and ends around the mansion to get it ready for the holiday season, weather it was putting up holly, arranging mistletoes where they were least expected, and the sort.

Princess Zelda walked outside in the snow, pulling her furs closer around her being. She came out to clear her thoughts. While she placed on a warm and caring smile, she was anything but when no one else was around. She had received a letter from her chief ministers back in Hyrule. When she received it, it appeared as if it was a Christmas letter with news of how the nation was doing well, and asking how she was. As their letters usually had been.

Unfortunately, it was anything but in this case. Things were not going well back in her home land. While the economy was thriving, the people were happy and content, the foreign diplomacy was going down hill by the week. Their northern neighbor, the bustling Empire of Helsreach had forcibly removed their Emperor Gustavus Adolphus from the throne by a coup of both his younger sister and the Parliament. It also said that Jezebel slew Gustavus as he resisted their grab for power, though no body was recovered. Zelda bit back tears at those words.

The High Ministers of the People crowned Jezebel Empress. Zelda scowled as the wind blew in her face at the thought of her. She had been unfortunate enough to meet her in person during one of the many border disputes the two kingdoms had with one another. Jezebel was young, maybe my age at the most, Zelda thought to her self. She was cunning and believed that the ends justified the means. She was always looking for a fight against Hyrule, as the two nations were never on more then cordial terms in the past hundreds of years.

Zelda sighed sadly to her self and reached a place in the forest where she wanted to be. It was a small croup of younger trees with a frozen pond in the middle. A medium sized stump of the tree that breathed life into the younger ones was close to the lake, a bit with a thin layer of snow. Zelda used her gloved hand to dust it aside. She sat down and looked into the thin ice covering the pond. She picked up a small stone and tossed it into the brittle ice. With the sound akin to shattering glass, a large portion of the ice was shattered and cold watter gushed forth from the fissure the rock had left. Zelda sighed and looked out into the wind.

It was the holiday season, damn it. She was suppose to be with out a care in the world. She should be laughing with her friend Princess Peach drinking tea and listening to the queen of gossip. She should be reading a Christmas story to the Ice Climbers and the other children. She should be happy, merry, joyful, and above all, NOT depressed. But she had trouble back home, she may have to return to lead her armies into war. She was suppose to be thinking about life and happiness, not death and sorrow.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard muffled footsteps behind her. She snapped out of her trance and brought her staff around. In a blur of white, she couldn't see the figure. However when her world game back into focus, the staff was halted bay a massive fingerless glove. He r vision began to show her a man with messy blue hair, tied back by a hair-band. He was wearing his usual combat clothes of leather and his red cape. Zelda's cheeks turned deep scarlet in embarrassment as the figure uttured a deep chuckle. "Princess, princess, who taught you to fight?"

She took the staff away from Ike, Commander of th Griel Mercenaries, and placed her hands over her mouth, still embarrassed that she almost hit him. "You did, for starters. I am so sorry, I was lost in thought and over come by with surprise." She turned around and sat back down on the stump. Ike sat down next to her and Zelda pulled in her furs closer. She blinked away the cold and shook her head. Ike looked to her, noticing the rare frown he saw. Ike untied his cloak and laid it out over Zelda's shoulders. Zelda smiled at him for a briefest second before he face returned to the sad frown.

Ike, wondering what was wrong with her, scotched in closer. "Zelda, what is going on? It's not like you to be this sad, especially around your favorite time of the year.'

Zelda sighed, Ike was too good to let her frown slide. He was too caring to let her wallow in her pit of self misery. "It feels as if my fragile world of peace and serenity is shattering and falling down all around me." She pulled out the portion of the letter about Helsreach and passed it to Ike. He looked at the letter with perplexed eyes, wide ones the size of dinner plates and then a look of malcontent.

He passed back the letter with a frown and looked back to Zelda. "Aye, political problems. Crimea has had their own problems, especially those like the ones your nation is going through. This may explain why you are such down in your mood."

Zelda clicked her tongue and laughed bitterly. "My nation may go to war for the innumerable time in history and you dare compare it to your tiny nation? Of course I have every right to be angry at them. You, the nation of Crimea, even the all of Tellius know nothing of the sorrows my people have gone through. It is why I am in such a mood any you are not helping."

Although taken back by Zelda's response, Ike shrugged and rose to his feet, taking his cloak back. "If that is the way you feel then, I will take my leave. Good evening to you to princess."

As he turned around, he heard Zelda call out behind him, "Ike, wait!" He took a few steps, and she called again. Ike was going to turn around When a sobbing Zelda slammed into him. "Please don't go. I'm sorry, I just don't know what over took me." She was crying. No Ike corrected himself. Zelda was sobbing. "It's... it's that... she killed Gustavus!" She then began to wail on his shoulder. Ike wraped his cloak around her again and whispered comforting words into her ear. She began to calm down and while she started to snivel, she was better. But Ike knew that when she got to explaining how she knew Gustavus, she would break down again.

They made their ways back to the stump and the snow began to fall a little harder. Zelda sighed and looked into the snow as Ike gathered some firewood. When he gathered enough, Zelda waved her hand and casted a small fire ball to ignite the wood. After placing a few logs on the fire, Ike sat back down next to Zelda and looked in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip and raised her finger. "Ike, before I tell you of Adolphus, I want you to listen to the legacy he had." Ike nodded thoughfully and Zelda closed her eyes and began to sing. The song was slow and mournful, as she lamanated the loss of some one she cared about.

_A time of turmoil and war they will sing the tale of an Emperor. That will lead his lands from anarchy and destruction. He was Adolphus, heir to the throne of Helsreach. It was his time to rule at last, for fifteen years was he waiting to sit upon his throne. No alliance, he would swear no oath of homage. Crowned by the heavens, not the church as the power was devine. Gustavus Adolphus Libera et impera Acerbus et ingens._

She lowered her eyes as she finished the song. It was clear to Ike that she knew and cared about the late Emperor. "He was so promising Ike. I want you to know that. He took sweeping measures to stop the border disputes he had with our nation. Where his father wanted war and vengeance, Gustavus was the voice of reason. Where other men would have yelled and threatened, he kept his head calm and allowed each side to argue their point. I even got to know him personally. Both of us were heir apparents and as such we were both sent out to talk to each other about the malcontent both of our kingdoms had."

She smiled sadly, as if recalling fine memories. Indeed she had one such memory. It was one of those perfect Autumn days, the ones with the tang of formed in the air. She and Adolphus were walking with each other, through the honey thick sun. The two of them talked happily and he had brought her to a small table he had prepared for her. It was a light but simple meal, consisting of white wine, sharp cheeses, breads and other harvests from their nations. She and Gustavus were talking about many political troubles their nations were having with each other, but then Zelda brought up trouble with radicals warmongers.

She told that a few nobles of her land were upset with her political agenda of making peace with Helsreach that they actually went as far as to attempt to provoke open war with Hyrule. Gustavus was shocked to say the least and demanded their names. When she gave them to him, he stayed for a bit before mounting his horse, Invincible. Only a short while later did Zelda knew what he had done for her. When the nobles were to attack her palace, a detachment of Helsreach Royal Guard were there to defend, with Gustavus at the head of the army. Granted they were under a disguise spell so they wouldn't be recognized, Zelda never forgot the service Gustavus did for her and Hyrule that night.

She was going to invite him to the Smash Mansion, to get away from politics and see an older friend of hers. But now that was never going to happen. Adolphus was never going to see another sunrise, another full moon, or another holiday. He has passed by, like the wind in your face. The winds of change took Gustavus at his prime and left a bitter woman to lead her people.

Zelda sighed and looked back down at her feet then back up at her Ike, who began to nod in affirmation. She then realized that she had spoken out loud and Ike had heard everything. She laid her head on his chest. "You would have liked to meet him Ike. He was strong, caring and wise beyond his years." She smiled. "Just like you."

Ike laughed, his chest rumbled with Zelda's head. She felt the fire of hatred in her stomach extinguished and replaced by another one. "Zelda, I am not Gustavus and never will be able to replace his memory. But," He rested his hand underneath her heart shaped face and looked into her deep blue eyes. "but I can say the same thing he most likely would have. He may be dead but he lives on, in you." Ike placed his spare hand on the right cheek of her face. "All what Gustavus did for you, what he spoke to you, what he taught you will carry on through you. Though like the snows around us will one day melt, it will give life into many things new. You be wallowing in your pit of misery. Live the life you need to live."

Zelda smiled and looked up into Ike's eyes. "Thank you Ike, for listening." She looked up into the sky and didn't realize how dark it had gotten until then. "Well, I should wait until Christmas, but I have a gift for you Ike." Ike's eyebrow arched in wonder. Zelda reached into her bag and produced a small box. Ike took the box and unwrapped it. He felt his breath hitch out of his lungs when he looked upon his gift. It was a picture of him, his little sister Mist and the rest of his Mercenaries. "I painted them base on what you described them as."

Ike laughed and shook his head. "Thank you. It means a lot. This was more then I asked for. By the way, I have yours for you." He pulled out another small box and passed it to her. "Merry Christmas."

She nodded and opened the gift. "Ike, it's beautiful. She pulled out a necklace, of the symbol of the Din upon it. Inside was a large ruby, that glistened in the fire.

"Here let me put that on for you.' Ike rose from his seat and attached the golden chain around her neck.

Zelda rose from her seat. "I...I don't know what to say."

Ike smiled and looked down at the tree stump. "Did you know what tree we were sitting on?"

Amused by the question, she answered. "Why it was a... mistletoe."

Ike leaned in and kissed her on the lips, deciding not to let the tradition wait. Zelda was startled for a moment, but eventually melted in it. They stood there for a moment, and she began to cry. "Zelda, what is it?" Ike asked as he broke the kiss.

"Ike... you have done so much for me over these past two years." She paused to wipe away her tears. "I don't know what I can do to repay it."

Ike brought her closer, until their chests were against each other. "You don't need to do anything Zelda. As I told you two years ago, you have already done enough for me." Zelda laid her head against Ike's Chest and listened to the lullaby of his heard as they walked back to the Mansion. Through the snows of change.

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**Well, there it is. A nice little holiday (although late) gift for you guys. If you have any reviews, please be sure to let me know. **  
**Happy holidays, **  
**Flame Falcon**


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